Today's Promise

Today's Promise

Dr. Bill Bright

Happy Are the Mourners

"Blessed are they that mourn for they
shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4).

During my days of agnosticism and early inquiry into the Christian faith, I
was not aware of my sin. I had come to believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of
God, that He died on the cross for the sins of man but somehow it had not dawned
on me that I was that bad. My life-style was not much different from that of the
average church member. And, though my life was far from exemplary, in my own
estimation I was a pretty decent fellow. As a matter of fact, I had some
problems with all the talk about the cross and the shedding of blood. It seemed
offensive to my aesthetic nature.

I was willing to believe that Jesus was the greatest influence, the greatest
teacher, the greatest leader, the greatest example that man had ever known. And
if He had to die on the cross to make a point, I did not think it was important
enough to be made an issue. In fact, the thing that was really important to me
was the fact that according to the Bible and the historical evidence, Jesus
lived a very wonderful life dedicated to helping others. Then one day - I shall
never forget the time and place, though I have forgotten the exact passage - as
I read the Bible I was suddenly gripped with the necessity of Christ dying on
the cross for my sins. I finally realized that without the shedding of blood
there is no forgiveness of sin, that I had fallen short of the glory of God and
that I deserved death. I realized that there is nothing in me that merited His
love, His grace, His forgiveness, His cleansing. I found myself on my knees in
tears, deeply conscious of my unworthiness and, for the first time in my life,
understood the true meaning of the cross and the reason He shed His blood for
me.

Soon after I was elected to the board of deacons of my church and was called
upon to serve communion. I shall never forget that experience. I found myself
weeping as I served the wafers representing His broken body and the grape juice
representing His blood that was shed for the sins of all men, for my sins,
because now his death on the cross meant everything to me. A hymn, which had
once been offensive to me, now became one of my favorites: "what can wash
away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus." I believe that this is what
Jesus had in mind when He said, "Blessed are they that mourn for they shall
be comforted."

TODAY'S ACTION POINT:
I will not ignore my sins but will mourn over them by confessing, repenting,
and, through the discipline of spiritual breathing, walking constantly in the
light as a model of the supernatural life.